For the past several years I’ve been encouraging people to be “bad kitties” – meaning that, in a nutshell, cats are always authentic, they are always true to their natures no matter what “society” (we, their owners) try to get them to do. For a fuller, happier, more passionate life, we need to embrace the same philosophy.

The truth is, cats can be jerks. And so can we. The question is, will you let that stop you from being you and getting what you want? Doesn’t it seem like no matter what we do, someone will think we’re acting inappropriately, being mean, going against the grain, being selfish, not doing enough, being too big (or small), dreaming too much (or not enough or even wrong), too political, going overboard, not trying hard enough and so on? So if others are going to have an opinion no matter what you do, why not do what makes YOU happy?

Cats know what they want and how to get it. Take a look at this Cats Can Be Jerks video for a few laughs and to see what I mean, just in case you don’t spend a lot of time around cats.

As I watch the video, I notice some very human patterns along the road to getting what we want. Have you experienced any of these?

MISCALCULATION: (the cat trying to jump out of the window and knocking down the picture) Sometimes when we want something, we make a mistake on the way. We miscalculate how long it will take, who/what might get in the way, even the best way to get there. Does that make what we want wrong? No, it just means we’re human and made an error (or even several) on the path.

MISUNDERSTANDING: (the cat going after the toy and knocking over the baby) Have you ever done something and had others misunderstand what you were doing? You had good intentions, you thought you were doing something right but those around you berated it. Or you saw someone do something that you thought was stupid, reckless or misguided. In both cases, often it just takes a few questions to discover the person’s intentions to make things clear and forgiven.

OVER REACTION: (cat swatting the baby) Have you ever been in a snarky mood? Have you ever had a particularly bad day that you couldn’t shake? Sometimes we just do things that are out of character that will make others upset. The important thing is to ask forgiveness, forgive yourself and move on. Don’t let the fear of an over reaction get in your way of continuing on your path.

HONEST MISTAKE: (the cat who blames the wrong cat for swatting his tail) Come on, we all make them. Give yourself, and others, a break.

We know we’re going to make mistakes, that other won’t get it, that there may be hard times on the path. Are you determined to get something, do something, create something anyway? Then keep these things in mind:

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT: (every cat in the video) The key is to be very clear. For the cats, whether it was some fresh air, to play a game or ride a turtle, the cats were single minded. Know what you want. What is the big picture? Do some visualization and dreaming. Now what are the steps to take along the way? Be very clear about every little step and you will be less likely to make mistakes and more likely to move forward.

BE A PEST: (cat pounding on the door, cat playing with the door stopper) To get what you want, being a pest is often required. Think of it as persistence, as being unstoppable. However you label it, keep going. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen had to approach scores of publishers before someone took on the now billion dollar “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” Every successful person has come to a point in their journey where they have to keep plugging, keep asking, keep pounding on the door until someone responded.

BE DELIBERATE: (the last cat knocking the item off the dresser) I love the way this cat looks at the item, slowly knocks it over, looks up at the camera and yawns. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew he was being watched. He knew he might get in trouble. He did it anyway. Are you ready to be that deliberate with what you want?

Hey Bad Kitty, cats can be jerks. Are you ready to own that part of yourself so you can get what you want? It’s all up to you!